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Linux engineer salary
Average linux engineer salary
$103,666
Linux Engineer Salary Insights
The average salary for a Linux Engineer stands at $103,666 annually, reflecting a competitive wage in the tech industry. Salaries can fluctuate based on various factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works. For instance, Linux Engineers in California and New York often command higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for tech talent.
In addition to location, experience levels significantly impact salary potential. Entry-level positions may start around $70,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $130,000 annually. Specializing in areas such as cloud computing or cybersecurity can further enhance earning potential.
Industries that frequently hire Linux Engineers include technology, finance, and healthcare, providing diverse opportunities for career advancement. Companies are increasingly seeking engineers who can manage and optimize Linux systems to ensure operational efficiency.
Overall, the outlook for Linux Engineers remains strong, with numerous opportunities available across various sectors. As businesses continue to rely on Linux for their operations, skilled professionals in this field are likely to see sustained demand.
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Where can a Linux Engineer earn more?
Linux engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average linux engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for linux engineers are New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia. The lowest average linux engineer salary states are Kansas, North Dakota, and Georgia.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for linux engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $116,505 | $56.01 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $123,650 | $59.45 |
| 3 | New York | $121,700 | $58.51 |
| 4 | California | $117,100 | $56.30 |
| 5 | Washington | $111,301 | $53.51 |
| 6 | Delaware | $109,108 | $52.46 |
| 7 | Idaho | $114,397 | $55.00 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $112,487 | $54.08 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $117,944 | $56.70 |
| 10 | Maryland | $109,782 | $52.78 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $105,447 | $50.70 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $102,379 | $49.22 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $105,297 | $50.62 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $105,614 | $50.78 |
| 15 | Ohio | $105,357 | $50.65 |
| 16 | Virginia | $102,436 | $49.25 |
| 17 | Nevada | $100,442 | $48.29 |
| 18 | Utah | $93,328 | $44.87 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $99,530 | $47.85 |
| 20 | Alabama | $92,183 | $44.32 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $101,227 | $48.67 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $93,516 | $44.96 |
| 23 | Texas | $92,733 | $44.58 |
| 24 | Maine | $101,076 | $48.59 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $97,574 | $46.91 |
| 26 | Vermont | $94,791 | $45.57 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $95,450 | $45.89 |
| 28 | Arizona | $91,726 | $44.10 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $93,440 | $44.92 |
| 30 | Illinois | $93,529 | $44.97 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $90,954 | $43.73 |
| 32 | Iowa | $92,278 | $44.36 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $91,850 | $44.16 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $89,471 | $43.01 |
| 35 | Florida | $88,900 | $42.74 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $91,095 | $43.80 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $90,290 | $43.41 |
| 38 | Indiana | $88,404 | $42.50 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $88,097 | $42.35 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $89,337 | $42.95 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $85,941 | $41.32 |
| 42 | Michigan | $87,051 | $41.85 |
| 43 | Colorado | $81,259 | $39.07 |
| 44 | Alaska | $86,072 | $41.38 |
| 45 | Georgia | $84,019 | $40.39 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $88,676 | $42.63 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $85,016 | $40.87 |
| 48 | Kansas | $85,802 | $41.25 |
| 49 | Montana | $82,865 | $39.84 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $85,977 | $41.34 |
| 51 | Missouri | $78,699 | $37.84 |
Highest paying cities for linux engineers
The highest-paying cities for linux engineers are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $129,453 | $62.24 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $121,986 | $58.65 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $116,195 | $55.86 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $112,972 | $54.31 |
| 5 | Rockville, MD | $109,596 | $52.69 |
| 6 | Columbus, OH | $105,143 | $50.55 |
| 7 | Oak Ridge, TN | $103,597 | $49.81 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $103,496 | $49.76 |
| 9 | Charlotte, NC | $100,855 | $48.49 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $99,570 | $47.87 |
| 11 | Eagan, MN | $95,489 | $45.91 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $93,921 | $45.15 |
| 13 | Fort Worth, TX | $93,146 | $44.78 |
| 14 | Cheyenne, WY | $92,280 | $44.37 |
| 15 | Phoenix, AZ | $91,874 | $44.17 |
| 16 | Greenville, SC | $91,294 | $43.89 |
| 17 | Washington, DC | $91,025 | $43.76 |
| 18 | Orlando, FL | $90,632 | $43.57 |
| 19 | Detroit, MI | $87,311 | $41.98 |
| 20 | Lenexa, KS | $86,319 | $41.50 |
Linux engineer salary details
A linux engineer's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a linux engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $103,666 | $8,639 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying linux engineer jobs
The highest paying types of linux engineers are principal systems engineer, lead systems engineer, and senior infrastructure engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Administrator | $92,434 | $7,703 | $44.44 | 71,753 |
| Site Administrator | $31,725 | $2,644 | $15.25 | 66,357 |
| Linux Systems Administrator | $83,032 | $6,919 | $39.92 | 109,091 |
| Technical Systems Engineer | $101,163 | $8,430 | $48.64 | 192,058 |
| Network Security Engineer | $88,322 | $7,360 | $42.46 | 91,892 |
| Systems Integration Engineer | $106,065 | $8,839 | $50.99 | 217,599 |
Top companies hiring linux engineers now:
Which companies pay linux engineers the most?
Linux engineer salaries at SiFive and Palantir are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average linux engineer salary at companies like Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SiFive | $137,298 | $66.01 |
| 2 | Palantir | $137,105 | $65.92 |
| 3 | Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group | $135,144 | $64.97 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $134,023 | $64.43 |
| 5 | ServiceNow | $131,252 | $63.10 |
| 6 | Kohl's | $131,200 | $63.08 |
| 7 | Jane Street | $130,859 | $62.91 |
| 8 | Sleep Number | $130,635 | $62.81 |
| 9 | QED Group | $129,961 | $62.48 |
| 10 | Ford Motor | $128,665 | $61.86 |
| 11 | Credit Suisse | $126,712 | $60.92 |
| 12 | Amazon | $124,785 | $59.99 |
| 13 | PDT Partners | $124,702 | $59.95 |
| 14 | Tesla | $123,957 | $59.59 |
| 15 | Amd | $121,880 | $58.60 |
| 16 | Merck | $120,102 | $57.74 |
| 17 | Goldman Sachs | $117,228 | $56.36 |
| 18 | TEKsystems | $117,062 | $56.28 |
| 19 | Populus Group | $114,900 | $55.24 |
| 20 | Veeam Software | $114,793 | $55.19 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Linux Engineer salary by industry
The average linux engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average linux engineer salary in the health care industry is $114,854, the highest of any industry.
- The average linux engineer salary in the finance industry is $112,727.
- Linux engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $101,124, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for linux engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $114,854 | $55.22 |
| 2 | Finance | $112,727 | $54.20 |
| 3 | Automotive | $105,358 | $50.65 |
| 4 | Energy | $103,497 | $49.76 |
| 5 | Technology | $103,041 | $49.54 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $101,124 | $48.62 |
High paying linux engineer jobs
Linux engineer salary trends
The average linux engineer salary has risen by $18,916 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average linux engineer earned $84,750 annually, but today, they earn $103,666 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for linux engineers over the last decade.
Compare linux engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average linux engineer salary over time
Compare linux engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Linux engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $104,000 | $49.84 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $100,000 | $48.20 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $98,000 | $47.11 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $96,800 | $46.56 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $95,200 | $45.76 | +2.4% |
Recently added linux engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gnw | Lead Linux Engineer | Richmond, VA | 06/30/2025 | $91,800 |
| ZP Group | Linux Platform Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Global Channel Management, Inc. | Remote Platform Engineer Linux | Atlanta, GA | 06/29/2025 | $91,828 |
| Understanding Recruitment | Linux Engineer | San Jose, CA | 06/28/2025 | $150,000 |
| Hudson Valley Trading Co | Linux Engineer, Trading Infrastructure | Boston, MA | 06/27/2025 | $130,000 |
| Bayone Solutions | Linux Kernel Engineer | San Jose, CA | 06/21/2025 | $135,655 |
| SOC Support Services | Platform Engineer/Linux-Aurora, Co-CI Poly | Aurora, CO | 06/15/2025 | $131,481 |
| Bae Systems | Linux or Cloud Engineer | Sterling, VA | 06/10/2025 | $146,670 |
| Everwatch | Linux Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/10/2025 | $115,143 |
| Hudson Valley Trading Co | Linux Engineer, Trading Infrastructure | Chicago, IL | 06/09/2025 | $130,000 |
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